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The truth isnt anything as dramatic, but it does show a company that not only supports open source, but relies on it every day to keep the best-known search engine and allied businesses running.

In a Ziff Davis Internet interview, Chris DiBona, Googles open source program manager, said that while he cant "talk about any future products," he also added that, to the best of his knowledge "Google has no plans to release an operating system or an office suite."

"I like the ideas of thin-client office programs, but I cant address products," he added.

That said, though, DiBona added, "We do support and use open-source programs. For example, we hired people to help make OpenOffice.org better."

Still, while Google has no plans to release end-user open-source programs, it actually already releases open-source code and programs that developers find useful.

DiBona cited Googles release of its AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML)-based AJAXSLT as an example.

"It may not be interesting to most people, but AJAX is mellow for developers. It lets them code more flexible user interfaces for Web browsers. Were trying to release more of this kind of code."

Looking ahead, DiBona sees Google releasing "more development tools. We like showing people some of the cool things we do. We want to share more code, but programming tools like our Core Dumper or CPU profiler dont get the hype."

All of Googles current open-source projects can be found at Google Code, the companys software site.

At this time, there are no hard plans for a summer of code 2006, but DiBona wants to do one. "Were still evaluating everything but I want to do another one with new students."

Indeed, "we had thought about doing a winter of code, but the students are busy with classes."

In the meantime, though, Google has donated $350,000 to a joint open-source technology initiative at Oregon State University and Portland State University.

"Supporting the projects and institutions advancing open-source software and hardware helps ensure the continued success and advancement of open-source technologies.

"The teams at Oregon State and Portland State have done great open-source work in the past and were excited to back their joint efforts," said DiBona.

"This partnership between Google and important research universities is yet another indicator of the continued evolution and maturity of the Linux and open-source markets," said Dan Kusnetzky, IDCs VP of system software research in a statement.

In addition to fostering open-source developers efforts and releasing code, Googles open-source office, which is under Google engineering department, is "making sure people are using open-source software properly in their code. We also have a training mission to make sure they understand what you can, and cant do, legally with the code according to its license."

So it is that Google, while not producing the kind of headlines that some people wish that it were with its open-source efforts, is nonetheless strongly supporting, producing and using open-source.

/zimages/6/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest open-source news, reviews and analysis.

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